Starting an Online Business For Dummies (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: online businesspeople, online sales catalog, affiliate ads, Office Live, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Apps (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

You’ve heard stories about people making their fortune creating Web sites and selling merchandise on the Internet. You’ve been eager to jump right in and take a shot at striking it rich, but you’re not quite sure how to get started—or if you’re business-minded and tech-savvy enough to succeed.

Starting an Online Business for Dummies will show you how easy it is to get your ideas off the ground and on the Web. You’ll be able to take advantage of everything an online business has to offer, without an MBA or years of experience! This updated, hands-on guide gives you the tools you need to:

• Establish and promote your business
• Advertise your site
• Build a business with online auctions
• Keep your business legal and lawsuit free
• Impress customers in the virtual world
• Publicize your business with Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft
• Conduct electronic payments
• Utilize VoIP, site feeds, blogging, and affiliate marketng

You’ll soon begin to realize that online business is not confined to large corporations or even businesses with storefronts. With this handy, straightforward guide, you will have your business online and ready to go in no time. There’s also a chapter on hot new ways to make money online, such as selling on Amazon or promoting on Flickr. The 5^th edition of Starting an Online Business for Dummies helps you help your business can reach its full potential!

From the Back Cover

Make the most of VoIP, site feeds, blogging, and affiliate marketing

The newest, fastest ways to establish and promote a lucrative online business

It's never been easier to get an online business up and running! From identifying your market to building your Web site to attracting (and keeping!) customers, this friendly guide covers it all. You'll take advantage of the latest Internet marketing trends, secure your site, receive online payments, and deal with legal and tax issues — all from the comfort of home.

Discover how to:

• Draw up a cyberbusiness plan

• Acquire equipment and inventory

• Market to customers around the world

• Improve your search engine ranking

• Set up Amazon, Yahoo!, and other storefronts

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 5 edition (April 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470107391
• ISBN-13: 978-0470107393
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,386 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #23 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Programming > Introductory & Beginning > For Dummies - Programming
  #48 in	Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > New Business Enterprises

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Basic information, but not hands-on enough, August 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Starting An Online Business for Dummies (Paperback)

This book offers a good introduction to what you need to start your own online business. All aspects of starting such a business is covered, and after I read the book I could proudly say I knew the how's (as well as what's), and I was on my way starting a business.

But there are two major flaws to this book: first, it's not very readable, and second, it doesn't give you enough hands-on information. There are superfluous step-by-step instructions on how to use FrontPage Express, but the author doesn't tell you much about building store fronts or how to accept credit cards online, two of the more pressing topics for someone wishing to start a e-business.

The CD is a big disappointment. Just a collection of demoware and shareware. It is an environmental waste and makes the book a little pricier than it should be.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book For the New Startup, June 5, 2005

By	John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Starting an Online Business For Dummies, 4th Edition (Paperback)

This guy knows what he is talking about. I did exactly what he said when I was setting up my on-line business. The only thing was that this book didn't exist then and I had to learn it all one step at a time. Well, I guess that's the only way any of us learn anything.

One thing he emphasises strongly and with which I cannot agree more, be a good e-mailer. If you get a question, a complaint, or anything else, respond quickly and in a friendly manner. Remember the old saying, "The customer is always right, even when he's wrong he's still right."

If you ship someone a bad CD (if that's what you're selling) and he comes bad and says it's bad, send him a new one immediately, before you even tell him to send you the old one back. Send it by first class mail, or even overnight. The rating he is likely to give you on e-Bay or Amazon or just with his friends is worth far more than the cost.

One point I would emphasize stronger. Pick a niche in which to market. Amazon sells everything, but not REALLY everything. Specialty hobby products from rock climbing to clock making, specialty books like maybe I-10 from one end to the other (and if you publish this, Amazon might sell it for you). You must specialize in something, something you cna define in a short sentence, or may two.

If you start an on-line business, remember that the web is only a communications medium. You're really just using the web to do what we used to call mail-order. This book emphasizes the on-line part of the business, just like the title says, you'll learn all this sooner or later, in this little book you'll have everything at your fingertips.

113 of 124 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Offers the Right Stuff to Get Online & Noticed!, April 26, 2000

By	Jim Moran (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starting an Online Business for Dummies (Paperback)

Starting an Online Business for Dummies offers readers the right stuff they need to get online, to get noticed, and to remain competitive in today's highly competitive online business world. Readers will pick up on a number of important business development concepts, Website design considerations, and marketing strategies. They will also learn that the Internet is a cost-effective way to let others know about the products and services they have to offer!

Website design considerations featured in the book includes developing content, establishing a graphic identity, offering features like guestbooks and discussion groups, setting up sites to handle secure sales, providing various payment and shipping options, providing customer service, and becoming a resource for customers. Greg Holden points out that business people can attract prospective customers to their sites by offering important information, products, services, and features free of charge that will not only enhance the appearance and functionality of a Website but may also end up enhancing one's bottomline!

When it comes to marketing, Holden provides realistic and easy to use marketing strategies and advice developed to draw attention. Readers will learn about starting their own newsletters, using newsgroups and mailing lists, holding contests, establishing business partnerships, exchanging links, placing banner ads, and using meta tags to attract the attention of search engines!

Other important online business considerations covered in the book includes Website security, legal matters, trademarks, copyrighting, taxes, and record keeping. Holden offers instruction and advice on these and other matters and directs his readers to Websites where they can find further information. A 32-page "yellow pages" Internet directory is included in the book to give readers a jump-start on finding good online resources!

The CD that accompanies the book is loaded with the latest trialware editions of popular programs such as Paint Shop Pro, HotDog Pro, Norton Utilities 2000, Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator, and the Adobe Acrobat Reader. A bunch of business programs are included as well to help businesses get up and running quickly!

Starting an Online Business for Dummies offers readers an excellent introduction to the art and science of setting up an online business. Every major aspect of starting a business is covered in adequate detail to help someone get started. Get a copy of this book and experience the thrill of operating your own online business - it can be very rewarding for you!